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Colts 14, Jaguars 12: Breaking down the game

COLTS 14, JAGUARS 12

RUSHING OFFENSE

C+ From a numbers standpoint, Maurice Jones-Drew had a decent day (21 carries, 97 yards) and made a great move on the 7-yard touchdown that pulled the Jaguars within two points. He showed he can be a full-time back, but the Jaguars had nobody to complement him. Greg Jones, who is supposedly going to get chances to lighten Jones-Drew’s load, had zero carries and Montell Owens just one. They couldn’t consistently pound the ball against the Colts like in the past.

PASSING OFFENSE

D So much for having a vertical passing game in the arsenal. With the Colts’ Dwight Freeney posing so many problems for tackle Eugene Monroe with his patented spin moves , quarterback David Garrard (14 of 28, 122 yards) didn’t have much time to scan the field. He did a great job just to keep the Colts from having a lot more than one sack. The Jaguars wide receivers had only five catches for 64 yards, and deep threat Troy Williamson was a non-factor.

RUN DEFENSE

A- Linebackers Justin Durant and Daryl Smith did a stout job of keeping Joseph Addai (17 carries, 42 yards) in check, including a forced fumble on a hit by Quentin Groves. When the Jaguars needed run stops on two short-yardage situations to give the offense a chance to win at the end, they put the hammer on Donald Brown. Safety Reggie Nelson also looked more physical in run support than in past years.

PASS DEFENSE

B- It’s not often an above-average grade is merited when Peyton Manning throws for 301 yards and has a 94.3 quarterback rating. The bottom line, however, is the Jaguars held the Colts to 14 points on their field and that’s a number any opponent can live with. Rookie Derek Cox was obviously taken to school on some plays by Reggie Wayne (10 catches, 162 yards), especially on a 35-yard touchdown and a 39-yard jump ball pass, which led to the other Colts’ TD. But Cox also made an athletic play on an end-zone interception on the opening series.

SPECIAL TEAMS

C- Not much in the way of highlights for either the return or coverage units. It wasn’t an easy call, but punt returner Brian Witherspoon put the Jaguars in bad position late in the fourth quarter by electing not to field a punt at the Colts 9. The ball was downed on the 1. Josh Scobee missed his first field goal in the year 2009 (preseason included), but it was a franchise-record attempt from 63 yards right before the half, so he gets a pass on that one.

COACHING

B- The glass looks half-full on defense and half-empty on offense. You have to acknowledge that the Jaguars started four rookies, including two offensive tackles that were facing one of the NFL’s most fearsome pass-rushing tandems, and were one play away from pulling off what would have been a significant upset. But with Colts starting receiver Anthony Gonzalez sidelined almost the entire game by a knee injury, it might not have been a bad idea to give Cox better support or relief in covering Wayne.